Toyoshige Oki

Ishin's Story

Mr.Toyoshige Oki is the CEO of Ishin Corporation. His company's services range from providing consultation on cloud computing and effective ways to use social media among many others.

"Zoho Invoice follows the standard operation flow"- Mr. Oki

How did you find Zoho Invoice?

One of my friends recommended Zoho Invoice to me. I had heard about Zoho long ago. After my friend had mentioned it, I went back and checked the website and was quite impressed by the width of services Zoho now offers. It has changed a lot!

I also discussed regarding the features and cost-performance of Zoho Invoice with my friend and was impressed that I could create 150 invoices at such a cost. Both the company (his and mine) now are paid users of Zoho Invoice.

SMB companies like ours want to use software application as a service, as we don"t want to have any software asset.

I didn't compare Zoho Invoice with other services as I'm not aware of any invoicing software which is comparable to Zoho Invoice. But I know of some accounting software which offer invoicing features but Zoho Invoice just fits my business needs.

What software were you using before Zoho Invoice?

Before Zoho Invoice, I didn't look for any specific invoicing software. I once searched for it, but couldn't find any good ones and left it at the thought that they must be expensive. Prior to Zoho Invoice, I was using Excel. I had created two sheets, one each for estimate and invoice. It was set in such a way that when data was entered in one, it reflected in the other as well.

How many features have you explored in Zoho Invoice ?

I haven't explored all of the features of Zoho Invoice, but it made our work easier. Some customers request for invoice in PDF format before we send it by snail mail. If we mail it by post or bring it by person it would take time. Zoho Invoice follows the standard operation flow and I didn't have to do anything special. I just followed it and create estimate/invoices. No need for customization at all.

Share your experience on using the cloud software ?

In my previous company, I used to tell that it's nonsense to purchase software for one million yen, then pay 8 million yen for customizing it. Rather, we have to decide to change the way in which we operate. The cloud software follows the standard operation flow and by following it we can identify the inefficiencies in the existing workflow. It improves the workflow and streamlines it as well.

Furthermore, it will help the startup companies to understand the invoicing flow. For example, there can be a venture company which has great technology but may not be good at accounting. For such companies, Zoho Invoice software will be helpful to understand what is needed for accounting and thereby improve their work.

What do you think are the benefits of using the Zoho Invoice's report feature ?

I have not really used the report feature although I have looked at it. With Excel, we have to open every sheet to calculate the yearly sales. But with Zoho Invoice, it's easy. With it, I easily get to know the revenue that is generated from a customer. It also helps us gauge whether or not we have earned enough revenue for the effort we've put.

Also, monthly sales report helps us to be conscious about the sales numbers. Mostly I have those numbers in my memory, but there is every chance that, that can be forgotten. With Zoho Invoice sales reports, I can grasp the sales numbers correctly.

Which feature are you going to try in the near future?

I haven't been adding payment to the invoices but I'm thinking of using it because I once forgot to ask the payment from the customer. If I'm using this feature, I can keep track of all the payments easily.